Planting trees yields a bounty of environmental benefits, from expanding real estate for migrating birds to preventing the escape of migrating dirt. Spread seedlings of change with today’s Groupon.
The Deal
$15 for a New Orleans wetlands restoration excursion (a $35 value)
The wetlands restoration program escorts volunteers to marshes and bayous outside New Orleans to replant bottomland hardwood trees and marsh grasses that were swept away during Hurricane Katrina. Equipped with plant materials, shovels, and boots, volunteers dig in to the planting process with the help of trained staff, who also impart knowledge about the local environment through a wetlands educational talk. Newly planted trees can add stability to the fragile ecosystem and protect nearby communities from storm surges and invading orks, with planting sites ranging from the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain to the Bonnet Carré Spillway and Bayou Sauvage near the coast. Common Ground staff will continue to monitor the planting sites after the work is completed to prevent land erosion and wildlife endangerment. Participants should bring sunscreen, bug spray, water, and clothes appropriate for working in the mud.
Common Ground Relief, Inc.
Established in response to the crisis caused by Hurricane Katrina, Common Ground Relief, Inc. provides long-term assistance and relief to the people and ecosystems most affected. Since its inception, the organization has corralled more than 35,000 volunteers from around the world for recovery efforts, including the rebuilding of more than 3,000 homes. Residents can receive free legal assistance and construction-job training through Common Ground’s aid programs, while those interested in wetlands restoration can help the organization combat the swift degradation of the coastline by planting hardwood trees and marsh grasses and cleaning native sites damaged by oil contamination.
Groupon Says
The Groupon Guide to: Being a Good Friend
Though many of life's accomplishments are important—working as a reading tutor, not setting fire to every mailbox you happen to pass—only one accomplishment matters in the long run: being a good friend. Follow these friendship tips to separating besties from the resties:
• Every time you're drinking something, offer your friend a sip from your glass. If they decline, show them there's nothing to worry about by sterilizing your own mouth with a crème brûlée torch.
• Pick up the check whenever possible—but don’t stop there. Use your intimate knowledge of your friend to glean possible passwords to their online bank accounts and transfer their funds into a high-yield CD just in case they want to save up to go to college again.
• What's your friend's favorite animal? Do they own one yet? Could you conceivably get them one? Keep in mind that the word "impossible" was most likely invented by a bad friend.
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